FORMER REAGAN AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ CALLS WAR A MISTAKE

SF CHRONICLE

(03-28) 23:08 PST ORANGE, Calif. (AP) --

President Reagan's s former ambassador to Iraq condemned the war there Friday as a huge mistake that will further alienate the Middle East and increase the threat of terrorism at home.

"The only thing that matters in diplomacy is perception," said Edward L. Peck during a lecture at Chapman University. "And the United States is not perceived as the bringer of peace, fairness and the rule of law."

"We have succeeded in making Saddam Hussein a hero, keeping out the invader," Peck said. "He is a symbol in the rest of the world for having stood up to Uncle Sam. We are not respected out there anymore, folks. We are feared and we are hated."

Peck, who spent 32 years as a diplomat, also is a former deputy director of the Reagan administration's terrorism task force. He lived in Iraq from 1977 to 1980.

If the United States wants to reduce terrorism and bring peace in the Middle East, it should work for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, Peck said.